According to the Olympic Charter, every National Olympic Committee must be free from government interference. A new survey from Play the Game shows that at least one in seven NOCs have leaders with formal ties to their national governments.

Analysis: How far should governments go controlling the governance of international sports federations? A public hearing held in Aarhus, Denmark, demonstrated that there is no clear consensus on the right balance between autonomy and intervention.

The President of the UCI, an experienced French prosecutor and the COO of UK Sport are the latest additions to the list of speakers when PACE and Play the Game next Monday invite the public to a hearing into politicians’ role in reforming sports governance.

Around 30 European parliamentarians will join sports leaders to discuss how to fight corruption in sport. This will happen at a public hearing in Aarhus, Denmark, organised by PACE together with Play the Game.

Governments have a growing interest in the governance of national sports organisations. Since 2013, Australia has required public supported sports organisations to follow a set of mandatory governance principles. Now, UK and Belgium are following suit and introduce new governance codes.

The Kuwaiti Government has dissolved the National Federations for equestrian, gymnastics and squash ahead of November 28 parliamentary elections.

Are corruption and kickbacks in the DNA of the sports world? Certainly, bad governance is not only haunting sport on the international level. Play the Game tells you the story about the troubled waters in a minor, but populous sports nation, the Philippines.

Nigeria is currently at a sporting low point caused by a lack of governance and sports strategy. Implementing better governance standards and increasing focus on grassroots and school sports could help the nation reach its potential.